The Memory Remains
by alwayswriting
Summary: Ric's past meets his present.
1. One

One

It wasn't that long ago when Ric Lansing would wake up in the middle of the night with his nightmares still lingering in his head. His life had always been filled with chaos despite the calm persona he put on. He was Ric Lansing—he went to an Ivy-League school; he was an intelligent lawyer, business associate with Sonny Corinthos. He had no room for nightmares. He had no time to wake up in bed in a cold sweat. But, one night, they came to him again, like a sudden plague out of nowhere. As he lay in bed, he watched the moonbeam shine in his room and for a moment, he found peace.

*

          Liz Webber sat in front of the blank canvas with a paintbrush in her hand. She tilted her head to the left and then to the right and to the left. "Where's my damn inspiration?" she said to herself.

          And as if on cue, Ric walked in her studio. She smiled at him. "You're here early."

          Ric held up a paper bag. "I bought you breakfast."

          "Thanks." Liz kissed him and reached for a bagel. "I had the strangest dream last night."

          "Really?"

          "Yeah, it was about you."

          Ric raised an eyebrow.

          "I don't remember much. It's all blurry now, but I do remember feeling lost, like you had left me," Liz said.

          Ric placed his hands on her arms. "It was just a dream, Elizabeth."

          "Yeah, I guess you're right." She wrapped her arms around him as Ric frowned, not believing his own words.

*

          "How's the file coming?" Sonny Corinthos looked at his lawyer for an answer, but Ric seemed a million miles away. "Did you hear me?"

          Ric blinked and looked up at Sonny. "I'm sorry. The file still needs some work."

          "Well, get to it," Sonny said, leaving the office.

          Ric reached for the file, but his attention quickly went back to the dream he had last night. The one he had not dreamt of for so long. Why would it come back to him now? The long dark hair and clear eyes that reflected his smile. Why was her face back to haunt him? "Kendra." He had to say her name out loud, to make her real again, to make her as real as his dreams.

*

          Jake Lansing sat in the airport's cafeteria, poking at his food. In a few days, he would in Port Charles, New York. In a few hours, he would be reunited with his older brother.

          "How're you doing?" Kendra Meyers took a seat across from Jake.

          "Fine, considering the fact that we're going to be seeing Ric again," he said.

          "I know it's a been a long time—"

          "Seven years," said Jake.

          Kendra nodded. "Seven years, but he's alive, Jake. That's a lot more than we had before."

          "What about you?" Jake asked.

          "What about me?"

          "This is hard for you too," he said. "You two were headed for marriage and he left you."

          Kendra tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "Well, I'm going to give Ric the benefit of the doubt and believe he had his reasons for leaving."

          "But he could have at least tried to contact us," Jake said bitterly. "Not a single phone call or letter. If we hadn't hired that private investigator, we would have never known he was in New York."

          "You remind me so much of him," Kendra said, placing a hand over Jake's.

          "How?"

          "You fight for what you want."

*

          Ric pulled the box out of his closet and sat on his bed. He opened the first envelope he grabbed and started reading the letter.

_          Dear Jake:_

_New York__ is everything I thought it would be. I think you would like it here. It's fast-paced and busy—everything that you are, or were. Are you still like that? I was sitting in my office this morning and I had this image of you and me playing football in the backyard at home. It's strange how that came out of nowhere. How you're doing well. _

_          Ric_

Ric sighed and put the letter back in the box. He looked down at it, his hands lingering on the dozens of the envelopes filled with letters addressed to Jake. Letters he had written, but never sent.


	2. Two

Two

          Ric took a seat inside Kelly's as Liz came up to him. She poured him a cup of coffee. "What's wrong?" she asked.

          "What makes you think something's wrong?" he said.

          "You didn't kiss me," she said with a slow smile.

          He reached for her and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry."

          Liz sat down and asked, "But, seriously, what's wrong?"

          "You know how you had that strange dream," he said, "I've been having some too."

          "Do you want to talk about it?"

          Ric shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He put a smile on his face. "So, are we still on for dinner tonight?"

          "Pick me up at six?" Liz said.

          "Six it is." Ric watched her go back to work. His dream flashed before his eyes. Long dark hair entangled in his hands. And the softness of Kendra's lips pressed against his as he kissed her.

*

          Kendra opened the door to her hotel room as Jake walked in. "Did you sleep well?" she asked him.

          "No. You?"

          "I couldn't even make myself close my eyes," she said. "All I could see was Ric, but it was the Ric from seven years ago. He could look completely different now."

          "I only wish my parents were alive to have this chance," Jake said.

          Kendra gave him a comforting hug. "You're taking the chance for them, Jake."

          He looked outside the window to the city. "He's down there somewhere, Kendra. Can you believe it? We found him."

*

          Ric put on his coat as he left his apartment. His mind was clouded with thoughts. Liz. His paperwork for Sonny. His dreams. And Kendra. Kendra Meyers. Next door neighbor turned best friend turned lover. Aside from leaving Jake and his parents, leaving Kendra had been extremely hard. He had left no note, no explanation. Nothing to give them any sign of hope that he would ever return.

          He turned the corner, still thinking of Kendra when he saw something—someone—that made him stop in his tracks. Was he dreaming? There she was. Standing in the flesh. Underneath the streetlight, across the street, Kendra stood. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest. Her hair was down and loose. She finally looked up and that was when she saw him.


	3. Three

Three

          They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Ric made the first move, taking the first step towards Kendra. She awkwardly stepped out into the street to meet him. They stood face to face, amazed to be looking at each other.

          "Ric." She smiled and touched his face. "Ric." It came out as a whisper; the wind carried his name away with it.

          He closed his eyes at her touch.

          "Where have you been?" she asked.

          Ric opened his eyes, wondering if he could find his voice. "I—"

          "Ric?" A figure approached them. A younger version of Ric—same dark hair and eyes. Jake, his little brother. Ric looked at Kendra and Jake—two people who were distant memories just a few minutes ago, but now standing in front of him.

*

          Liz stood outside her studio with her arms wrapped around herself. She was dressed in a red dress. Her hair was curled and her make-up done. She looked up and down the street for any sign of Ric. There was none. She checked her watch. Ric was more than twenty minutes late.

          "Elizabeth?" Lucky Spencer came walking up to her. "What are you doing out here?"

          "Oh, hey, Lucky." She suddenly became very embarrassed at the situation, feeling that maybe her fear was true—Ric had stood her up. "I'm just waiting for Ric."

          Lucky smiled at her. "You and him getting serious?"

          Liz shrugged. "We're just getting to know each other."

          "I've seen you two together," Lucky said. "Seems like a lot more than that."

"You know, I forgot something in my studio." Liz turned away from Lucky. "It was good seeing you, Lucky."

"Have fun tonight." Lucky squeezed her hand before leaving.

Liz waited until he was out of sight before covering her face with her hands, hiding the tears.

*

          Ric sat with Jake and Kendra in the hotel's restaurant. The three had barely said anything to each other, unsure on where to begin.

          "How are Mom and Dad?" Ric asked.

          Jake cleared his throat uneasily. "They passed away in a car accident last year."

          Ric lowered his eyes.

          "They didn't stop looking for you, you know," Jake said. "They just wanted to see you again."

          "Jake, please don't," Kendra said softly.

          Jake ignored her and raised his voice. "Was it too hard for you to let us know you were alright?"

          "I never meant—" Ric didn't know how to continue.

          "You never mean anything, Ric." Jake looked at Kendra. "Isn't that right, Kendra?"

          She sighed. "I know you're upset, Jake, but remember we came all this way. We're different people now with different lives and—"

          Ric suddenly stood up. He checked his watch, realizing that it was almost nine. He had let his date with Liz slip his mind.

          "What's wrong?" Kendra asked.

          Ric stared at Jake's angry expression, knowing that this was not the right time for a heart-felt reunion. He wondered if there ever would be one. "You're right, Kendra. We are different people now." He turned and left the restaurant.


	4. Four

Four

          The rain was gathering in puddles as Ric entered Kelly's. He scanned the restaurant and saw Liz at the counter. "Liz." But she turned from him. "Liz." More urgently.

          Her back tensed up at the tone. She was listening.

          "I tried to call you to explain about last night," Ric said. "I don't blame you for not wanting to talk to me, but I have good news, Elizabeth."

          She half-turned to him.

          "My brother found me," he said.

          Liz finally turned to face him. "Your brother?"

          Ric nodded.

*

          Jake watched the rain fall from his hotel room. He heard the door open and close and Kendra sitting down in his bed.

          "Jake?" she said.

          He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "He left us again, Kendra. No explanation, no promise to return. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

          Kendra frowned. "Be patient with Ric, Jake. This is hard for all of us."

          "How can you be so optimistic?" Jake asked.

          "It's the only thing I have left." Kendra joined Jake at the window, watching the rain fall with him. "We'll find him again, Jake."

*

          Liz sat across from Ric in shock as he retold his reunion with Jake and Kendra. Her eyes never his dark ones as they lit up, dimmed, and lit up again as he mentioned the names from his past. She became very aware that his past was something she never knew of…until now. The fact that he had a family, a younger brother, and the fact he had been in love before. "What's going to happen now?" she asked.

          Ric was silent for a moment. "I don't know."


	5. Five

Five

          Ric was always certain of everything. He always had it in him to check the facts, make sure everything was correct. That was one of the reasons he had become a lawyer. He always wanted to be certain of things. But now it wasn't true. Everything in his life had become uncertain, unreliable. Even Elizabeth. He had his arm around her as they lay in bed. She slept soundly. She probably never woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. He smiled, knowing that at least she had peace in her life. Kendra's face flashed in his mind. He frowned.

*

          Port Charles was a nice town. Kendra had heard rumors. Mobsters and vampires. She didn't know which one was more absurd. She was out taking a walk at night. The rain had stopped for a moment—a clean fresh scent lingered in the air.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she entered the docks. A misty fog lay upon the dark waters. She suddenly remembered a night much like tonight. Senior year in high school. Ric had dared her to toilet paper Principal Kalish's home. She could vaguely hear their laughter and whispers as they threw rolls and rolls of toilet paper over Principal Kalish's front yard, over the his nice BMW, and when the lights came on from inside the house, they ran down the street to Ric's car, laughing all the way until tears appeared in their eyes. It rained later that night and all they talked about was how upset Principal Kalish was going to be with all the wet toilet paper decorating his property.

          Kendra wanted that again. Ric's careless whispers taunting her to take a risk. Ric holding her hand tightly as they ran down the dark street. A tear rolled down her cheek. She touched it and realized it was just a raindrop.

*

          Jake tossed and turned in bed. He could hear about thunderstorm coming from a distance. He sat up in bed; sleep was something he would not be getting tonight. He reached for his bag and took out a picture. It was the last picture of him and Ric. Ric had his arm around Jake's shoulders. They both looked relaxed, like brothers. Things had changed.

*

          _When the brothers met again, the older one asked, "Why did you find me?" The younger one said, "Why didn't you find me?"_


End file.
